Balaka District Health Office has revealed that lack of medical supplies remains a challenging factor in the fight against cholera in the district.
The hospital’s chief preventive health officer, Blessings Chitsime, disclosed this in an interview with Malawi24 on Friday after receiving a donation of 500 kilograms of granular chlorine from Save the Children as a response to the fight against the outbreak in the district.
Chitsime said: “Cholera cases are on the rise but we have a myriad challenges in resources, which is crippling our response to the outbreak.”
He added: “Apart from chlorine, personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical equipment, fuel remains a big challenge as we strive to reach out to a multitude of people across the district with various hygiene and sanitation promotion initiatives in order to contain the outbreak.”
Balaka Civil Society Organizations (CSO) network health thematic chairperson, Darlington Thole, expressed fear that the resource constraints may worsen the situation in the district if urgent action is not taken, calling on different stakeholders to holistically work together in resource mobilization in the fight against the outbreak.
In Balaka, the first cholera case was registered in March, 2022, and, as of Friday, cumulative cases stood at 246 with 12 deaths. In Malawi, Cholera has killed over 500 people.
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